Question of our future
Sydney Morning Herald
Monday March 22, 2010
Test how much you know about this year's Earth Hour and the reasons it was created by doing our quiz. 1 How many countries will take part in Earth Hour this year?(a) 60.(b) 80.(c) 90.(d) more than 100.2 How many towns and cities will take part in Earth Hour this year?(a) 1000.(b) 1200.(c) 1400.(d) more than 1600.3 Which of these countries is NOT taking part in Earth Hour?(a) Madagascar.(b) Mongolia.(c) Paraguay.(d) The US Commonwealth of the Northern Marina Islands in the Pacific Ocean.4 What's the key thing you need to do to take part in Earth Hour?5 What is the quickest and easiest way of working out your family's carbon footprint?(a) Use your calculator.(b) Ask your mum or dad.(c) Ask your teacher.(d) Go to a computer and check out the WWF's interactive online footprint calculator.6 Australians have a bad record when it comes to our ecological footprint per person. Where do we rank against other countries?7 Are these countries worse or better than Australia when it comes to using land and water?(a) Britain.(b) China.(c) Russia.(d) India.8 Which country is the worst offender when it comes to land and water use?9 Your mum or dad loves getting a takeaway coffee. How can you persuade them to reduce their carbon footprint?10 How does having a meat-free day once a week reduce your carbon footprint?11 What is the easiest way of improving the efficiency of the family car?12 Why should you never dump old electronic gadgets - such as mobile phones, iPods, televisions, computers and radios - as general household garbage?13 According to experts, the world's cities are responsible for how much of the planet's carbon emissions each year?(a) 20 per cent.(b) 50 per cent.(c) 60 per cent.(d) 75 per cent.14 Which of these uses the most electricity?(a) A ceiling fan.(b) An air-conditioner.15 How much fresh water does an Australian use each day on average?(a) 180 litres.(b) 220 litres.(c) 280 litres.(d) 330 litres.16 In 2007, Australians recycled the equivalent of 1 billion newspapers and magazines.Does that make us:(a) The best in the world.(b) The worst in the world.ANSWERS1. More than 105 countries are taking part in this year's Earth Hour. 2. More than 1690 cities are taking part. 3. Trick question. They are all taking part. 4. Turn off the lights in your home for an hour at 8.30pm on Saturday, March 27. 5. The WWF's online calculator allows you to easily work out the size of your environmental footprint, with hints and tips on how to reduce and improve it. Go to earthhour.org.au. 6. We're the fifth-worst offender, according to WWF's 2008 Living Planet Report. Up from sixth in 2006. Nothing to be proud of! 7. Another trick question. All four countries use less land and water a person than Australia. 8. The United Arab Emirates, followed by the US, Kuwait and Denmark. 9. Opt for a reusable cup instead. Takeaway cups end up in landfill. 10. By saving water €” hundreds of litres of water are needed to produce a kilogram of beef. 11. Fill up the car with passengers! Or at least get your parents to reduce the number of times they travel on their own. 12. Because they all contain material that can be recycled, such as gold, copper and coltan. 13. Cities account for 75 per cent, according to the organisation C40. That's why it is so important to persuade city dwellers to be more responsible about electricity consumption. 14. An air-conditioner uses about 10 times as much electricity a year than a ceiling fan. 15. The average Australian uses 280 litres of fresh water a day, compared with 10 litres a day for the average person in a developing country (10 litres is about the amount of water used in one flush of the toilet). 16. Australians are the best recyclers of newspapers and magazines in the world. But we also throw away more than $5 billion in food each year.
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